How to Get Started

Companies who succeed at sustainable SAM policies have top managements’ commitment to get the most value from their IT assets, have trained and dedicated resources to manage their programs, and lastly, have an informed and engaged employee base that understands the implications of using properly licensed software.

BSA has designed a simple and smooth process to help organizations successfully achieve the Verafirm Certification. As a first step, organizations either using trained internal resources or with the help of SAM consultants, review their SAM processes against industry standards such as ISO, COBIT and ITIL. The review should cover all areas of the software lifecycle from policies, procurement, deployment, maintenance and retirement. Gaps in policies, license positions and usage should also be assessed.

Once an organization is confident they have a robust software inventory system and their processes are yielding the desired outcomes, they are ready to apply for Verafirm Certification following the steps below:

During the application process, the organization will specify the legal entity and geographic scope of its operations that will be subject to the certification. The organization will also present proof of license statements for all software included in the scope of the certification.

The organization will be able to select a Verafirm Certified Auditor (provided there is not a conflict of interest) to independently assess the organization within the specified geographic scope for: a. Effectiveness and sustainability of their implemented ISO-aligned SAM processes, and b. Current license compliance and ability to sustain license compliance.

The Verafirm Certified Auditor issues a recommendation to BSA based on his or her assessment of the organization’s performance with respect to critical parameters. If sustainable license compliance is assured and the organization’s critical SAM processes pass the test, the auditor recommends the organization for certification.

BSA reviews the results of the assessment and the Verafirm Certified Auditor’s recommendations and makes a final determination. The certification and its benefits, including forbearance, extend only to the legal entity and software that was considered within the scope of the assessment.

Want to get started? Fill out the Contact Us form and a BSA representative will contact you shortly.